Here is mistake not to make.

[wmccall]

Once again, when I do something dumb, you get to laugh and make note so you don't ever do the same!

I've been really happy with how good my water has been lately. Its nearly 2 months old and still looking great. This morning, I decided to keep it that way and change out the filters.

I've been using the spray filter cleaner, but with that stuff you have to really rinse the filters thoroughly or you will cause some minor foaming. Well, I had cleaned these filters two weeks ago, and didn't rinse them well enough. I instantly saw foam building up so I went into the house to get the foam-out that I keep in the spray bottle.

Well, the filter cleaner was on my mind and I accidently grabbed the filter cleaner and began spraying it onto the foam, which didn't seem to help at all.

Looks like I may be changing the water sooner than I had hoped.

[zzaphod42]

Don't feel too bad. A while back I had a customer who had just finished refilling his hot tub. Every time our customers drain and refill they are required to add a full  bottle of a product to help prevent staining to their hot tub. Well he had the bottle sitting beside a full bottle of filter cleaner and yup, you guessed it - he added the wrong one. Needless to say that was a drain and refill occassion as well.

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

This could become an interesting thread  

OK, I had a customer in Taos MN that shut off the main breaker for her hot tub (full of water) the beginning of winter (mid November). She said she just didn't want to use the tub throughout the colder months..... As I recall, she called around March and said something like, "but this hot tub has a freeze protection device".

[Drewski]

"Freeze Protection"?  That's cold.

Perceiver, WM, perceiver!

Last month I threw all the swim suits in the washing machine with the standard dose of Liquid Tide.  The power failed due to a storm and the suits sat in the machine for a few hours.  When the power came back on the washer didn't run, but I DIDN'T know that.  A few days later (Yeah, I'm a bachelor) I pulled the suits out and hung them up.

That weekend all the kids came and used the suits in the tub.

Foam?  Oh Yeah.  When it got halfway across the patio, they came and got me.

Never a boring moment...

Drewski

[rick]

My girlfriend and I go to the coast to get away from it all and a couple of years ago we went to a resort at Avila Beach that has natural "sulpher" hot water springs and a bunch of secluded redwood hot tubs you can rent by the hour.  Well, when I'm at the coast, I drink wine like it's water and by nightfall I was good and sloshed.  Went to the resort, rented the tub at the counter and bought a couple of packets of liquid aroma to help kill the sulpher smell.  Walked up the steps to the tub, it's pretty dark, the tub is lowered in the deck and I looked at the water and thought it looked kind of yucky.  Oh well, I opened the aroma thingies and poured them in.  Took off my clothes and stepped in but then noticed that there was a spa blanket over the top of the tub.  DUH!!!   The blanket never smelled better.    

[HotTubMan]

Heres a good one for those who want to install a tub themselves.

Last summer I had a custoimer purchase a floor model and pick it up the next day. My installers were booked for a few days and he had to have it the next day. He hired a moving company who sent 1 guy to load this tub!! At the customers house, once the tub was off the truck they quickly realized the benefits of having a cart with AIR FILLED wheels. D'oh! At this point he tried to call me claiming he thought the tub would be wrapped, even though it came off the floor. I thought I would be a nice guy and I brought over a cart. I left as they were going to connect the electrical. They asked for my help, but I am useless on the install/electrical side.

Heres where thing really went side ways. The tub was half full when someone decided to flip the breaker on. D'OH. Needless to say the customer did not read the installation checklist or the manual and had to purchase a new 4.5HP pump.

There are some advantages to having the pros do somethings....

HTMan

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

ok, another... A licensed electrician runs the power for a spa. One black hot wire, one white neutral wire and one green ground wire. At dissconect switch he splices the black wire onto both terminals of a 220v breaker...... I get the call from the customer screaming that the spa, the brand new spa, wont turn on.

[stuart]

OK I will throw my "worst" into the mix.

I'm at a customers house looking at an older spa with water quality issues - I tell them to get me a sample of the water and I will take it back to the shop with me and do a computerized water analysis. He gives me the sample in an empty aquafina bottle, I toss it in the seat and finish my calls. Halfway through the day I hop in the truck, it's very hot and dry out so I unconsciously grab my "bottle of water" I always keep with me and take a big slug of it.... You guessed it, DIRTY SPA WATER!!   it’s a baaad feeling to know you just drank someone’s bathwater!


I carry sample bottles now.....

[Spa_Tech]

There seems to be quite a few out there lets see if mine measure up....


While I was working for the local HotSpring dealer as the service manager we had a man called for service for his early model Classic. The high limit kept popping and he insisted that there was something 'mechanical' wrong. Upon inspection, his two 45 sqft filters were clogged with clumps of stringy material which I couldnt identify as first. As it turned out he enjoyed sharing his spa experience with his cats.

A local physician called for service for a leaky spa. The spa had multiple leaks and the shell showed obvious chemical damage. When confronted with the problems and was asked what he used for sanitation he replied, "chlorine"... Pressed further we asked what kind... His response... "Clorox."

How about the electrician who Ive reccommended for the better part of a decade, transposing a hot lead for a neutral, cooking the tubs transformer. He did his 'mea culpas' and made the needed repairs...

Another service call request consisted of a report of the spa pump not primed- when activated the motor only hummed. Prepared to bill a customer for purging the air lock out of their spa I went to work only to be puzzled. After removing the pump,  I removed a pair of bikini bottoms from the impellor of the pump. Dont ask me how they got there- all i know is someone got grounded.




Btw-- pretty good ones, Andy.

[stuart]

ok, another... A licensed electrician runs the power for a spa. One black hot wire, one white neutral wire and one green ground wire. At dissconect switch he splices the black wire onto both terminals of a 220v breaker...... I get the call from the customer screaming that the spa, the brand new spa, wont turn on.

Don't you love it when the electrician says "I had 110 on both legs" but when you ask what he had between them you get a moment of silence and then "Uh, 220?" or when you show them that they only have the breaker stabbed on 1 leg of power and they say "You don't know what your talking about, I've been an electrician for 20 years!". Probably the most common is when they run the nuetral wire going to the tub to the buss bar instead of the GFCI.

I had one recently where I asked the "licsenced" electrician to check power for me and he said "Um, I don't have a Meter!?". Same guy told the customer that "It had to be the spa, I've never seen a GFI fail!". Yah, right!

[bulmer4nc]

OK I will throw my "worst" into the mix.

I'm at a customers house looking at an older spa with water quality issues - I tell them to get me a sample of the water and I will take it back to the shop with me and do a computerized water analysis. He gives me the sample in an empty aquafina bottle, I toss it in the seat and finish my calls. Halfway through the day I hop in the truck, it's very hot and dry out so I unconsciously grab my "bottle of water" I always keep with me and take a big slug of it.... You guessed it, DIRTY SPA WATER!!   it’s a baaad feeling to know you just drank someone’s bathwater!


I carry sample bottles now.....

OK... That almost made me hurl.  

[stuart]

OK... That almost made me hurl.  

Me too!!

[HotTubMan]

Not sure these may be of lower quality.....

A recent install resulted in one the pumps seizing after the first weekend of use. Service department went to investigate. Upon inspection of the impeller, pieces of what appeared to be two rubber ducks were discovered.

The service technician handed the customer the bill.
"What do you mean it isn't covered by warranty?"

BTW the water bottle thing DID make me hurl

[stuart]

Not sure these may be of lower quality.....

A recent install resulted in one the pumps seizing after the first weekend of use. Service department went to investigate. Upon inspection of the impeller, pieces of what appeared to be two rubber ducks were discovered.

The service technician handed the customer the bill.
"What do you mean it isn't covered by warranty?"

BTW the water bottle thing DID make me hurl

OK, I admit it, me too...

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

when you show them that they only have the breaker stabbed on 1 leg of power and they say "You don't know what your talking about, I've been an electrician for 20 years!".

This is so common I didn't even think it worth mentioning.....

stuart - DON'T READ THIS ONE.

This story is from a friend. he was developing a new "chemical free" sanatizer... had about 100 volunteer customers trying it out. Only one customer was having problems... MAJOR problems.... the water was always cloudy and there was a bunch of white clumping material around and stuck to the suction cover. Well, he goes out and gathers some of this "stuff" up and puts it in a water bottle (STOP RIGHT HERE stuart...... trust me on this)....... *he wont stop, but I warned him*

Anyway, he sends the "stuff" off to the lab for testing. A couple days lated the lab tech calls...... man was he glad he was wearing gloves when he gathered the "stuff"...... turned out the guy had a new girlfriend....... they were "using" the spa every day, morning and night..... needless to say, he called the guy when he was at work and left a message on his answering machine........ N E V E R heard from the guy again

HEY! I warned you stuart.

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I wont even begin to get into the spas at fraternities and sororities I used to service :-)